'Surrendered poll promises': Oppn leaders slam J&K CM

During a presser in Srinagar, he says while there have been "differences of opinion on some issues", there was no confrontation with the Raj Bhawan

- Ashiq Hussain

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the hybrid model of governance in the Union Territory is not to anyone's advantage and systems work better when there is single centre of command.

"Obviously, dual centres of power are not to anyone's advantage. If dual centres were effective tools of governance, you would see them everywhere," Abdullah said at a press interaction at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.

On the hybrid model of governance in the UT, he said while there have been "differences of opinion on some issues", there was no confrontation with the Raj Bhawan.

"Systems work better when there is a single centre of command. For the UT, the dual centres of command are inbuilt. There have been differences of opinion on some issues, but not on the scale on which is being speculated. Such reports are just a figment of imagination," he said. Referring to the role of lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha in the UT and his own as CM, Abdullah said the past two months since he took charge have been a learning experience "for understanding where our authority begins and where it ends."

Since Abdullah took charge on October 16, there have been two issues where the elected government and LG have not been on the same page. A political row erupted earlier this week when the National Conference and the CPI(M) criticised the lieutenant governor's decision not to include July 13 (Martyrs' Day) and December 5 (the birth anniversary of NC founder Sheikh Abdullah) as official holidays. "We would have liked to have (the two) holidays because it is a part of emotional attachment we have and also a part of J&K's history," he said.